KLMBH - On! On!

Ever been to a bash and wondered, where the did all these nice singletracks come from? How about wondering what does one need to do to set up a bash? Or did you at least even wonder who in the world are these hares? This is an article in a series documenting my experience as a newbie hare, which I wrote as an answer to all those questions that I myself wondered about.

Full listing of Memoirs of a newbie hare

When you hear the word "hares", does the image of cute little furry animals appear in your mind? If you're a regular to bike hashes (or “bashes”) with the Kuala Lumpur Mountain Bike Hash (KLMBH) I can assure you that little furry animals won't be the first thing you think about, but rather a bunch of dirty mountain bikers romping in the woods heralded by the calls to glory, "On! On!".

So who are these so called hares, and what do they do? Let us start to peel away the shroud of mystery of these so called hares.

What, hares you say? 

Hares are a group of riders who took upon themselves the task of setting up a bash. Without hares, there wouldn't be a bash and most of us will be playing in our same old backyard week after week. Mountain bikers should be roaming free of any boundaries so that wouldn't be proper at all, would it? But I digress.

Coming back on topic, what does members of the Leporids family have in common with these mountain bikers? The term hares came from the origins of bike hash (or bash), with is a running hash. The concept is to have hounds chase after a hare, and instead of using our nose (quite useless for this task I might add, no matter how smelly the hares are) the hounds chase after physical trail laid by the hare. In KLMBH, the hares will lay out a paper trail for other mountain bikers (the hounds) to follow.

Contrary to popular belief, hares are not gods of mountain biking that can cycle up a mountain in a single breath. Hares are also not sadists that takes pleasure in creating the most difficult route in a bash just to see some poor fellows suffer in trying to follow the paper trail. Well there might be some truth to the second, but in general the hares are regular blokes like you and I that like to ride our bikes on the trails. I'm assuming of course you're reading this article because you ride a mountain bike.

Hares could also come from a local group, familiar with a certain location (normally in their backyard) which would like to share their playground with the rest of the world. There would also be times when the hares would be helped by a local group that know the area better. But most of the time there's a bunch of guys who like to ride together to find new trails and set up a bash. So in fact when you might see hares as an elite mountain biking group, its actually in fact a bunch of guys who like to ride together. Suddenly, they sound like every rider you see. This means anyone can be a hare if they want to. So, what does it takes to become a hare?

In search of the perfect bash trail.

Still searching.

Requirements to become a hare

Do you like to ride your mountain bike? Do you think that finding new places to ride is fun and exciting? Do you have a playground that you'd want to share with others? Or do you just like to ride the bash? Then you fit the requirements to become a hare.

However everyone have to start from somewhere to become hares. All you need to do is have an interest and dedication to follow it through, and to allocate some time to set up a bash. Once you have the intention, then all that needs to be done is to contact the Hare Raiser. No, its not the person who raises cute furry animal for the club but the person in charge of coordinating the bashes and managing the hares. Once a new hare volunteers for duty, they will be assigned to one of the existing hares who are always willing to take a newbie hare under their wing (or is it bunny ear?).

So what else do you really need to become a hare? A good positive attitude would be a start. You will need that to go through the process of preparing for the bash which varies from a simple process to a very complicated one based on the lead hare. This is especially true when you have that urge to strangle the leader when you get lost for the umpteen time in search of that elusive sweet singletrack to complete the bash. Don't believe me? Just try asking some of the wives of the hares that have been dragged along on such expeditions, I'm pretty sure they had the same idea but stopped short of executing it by their love for their husbands. That, and the fact that there are more ways than one to get back at their husbands for dragging them out into the woods.

Once you have all the requirements above, you will need a nickname. How else will you make all this cool if you don't have a nickname? They will need to put something on the KLMBH wall of fame to honor your sacrifices and achivements, and plain old Riza just won't do it. Well, I'm puling your leg on this one. You can skip this part if you're already cool, which you are since you ride a mountain bike.

Where's the trail? More importantly, where are we??

Why do they do it?

There would be different reasons from hare to another and I can't speak for everyone, however I think they would all share the same motivations that I have. Therefore I shall list out the reasons why I like being a hare.
 

1. Basically having an excuse to wander of in search of the sweet trails and new areas to ride. Along the way I get to ride with good company.
2. Returning a good deed - you set a good bash to complement a fellow hare who has previously set a good bash. This could be misinterpreted as payback for letting you suffer in the previous bash they set, but I assure you all is done with the purest of intentions. Well, maybe 99% of it was pure.
3. Self improvement. Mind you, after following some experienced hare set up a bash you can expect some if not more improvement in your riding stamina and skills, due to the nature of the recce itself.
4. Satisfaction of having done a bash that people like. Just hearing someone say they enjoyed the ride makes it all worthwhile.

To summarize, I do it because its fun. Its as simple as that. I get to explore new places, get to know people, and just ride. As a bonus, I get to scheme on how to make other riders suffer but at the same time enjoy their ride. Exact opposites, no? At least I can try, since you can't please everyone (I meant the part of trying to make them enjoy the ride, not the part of making them suffer).

A happy hare is the one that gets a good dose of sun and mud.

How do they do it?

If you're wondering about this, then you'll have to read the next chapter.